Monday, July 25, 2005

Empty Threat

Speaking of using the threat of death melodramatically, my friend DovBear said this regarding the initiation of random searches in the NY Subway system:

Personally, I'd rather end up in a box, six feet under ground, than live where the cops can go through your possessions without probable cause. And if you had any sense of the stakes so would you.

Um, no. Even if I "had any sense of the stakes" that you're so sure I don't have. I still wouldn't rather end up "in a box, six feet under ground". Listen, it's nice to live in America, in a place where our civil liberties are taken for granted. But I am willing to give up my right to travel on the subways without being searched in order to improve the level of safety for myself and everyone on that train.Now, the question of whether "random" searches actually improve that level of security is a different one. I am not personally a believer that they do. I think we would have to switch over to searching everyone seeking entry to the subway system in order to really ensure our safety and security. Especially since the NYPD has promised to avoid any and all "profiling" when they choose who to randomly search. I think this plan is being implemented mostly to improve the morale of New Yorkers. Which is important, but it isn't a security plan. Show me a plan that employs bomb-sniffing dogs, metal detectors, or searching every person who wishes to gain entry to the subways, and then we'll talk.

11 Comments:

Obviously Dov doesnt live in new york city.I wonder if he has even been to Israel lately where such inspection are part of daily life.The weeks following 9/11 had many building gaurds inspecting bags and no one said boo. Civil liberties? I'd rather have my bag searched than be the Brazilian in london.

If you don't believe that random searches help, than why are you prepared to endure the inconvenience if it is futlie anyway?

"I think we would have to switch over to searching everyone seeking entry to the subway system in order to really ensure our safety and security. "

Do you know how much that would cost in personnel, cap improvements and commuter time? Literally millions of people pass through the subways on a daily basis. This would be impossible to implement as a practical matter.

I have a problem with being searched, but it has nothing to do with my civil rights. There is not nearly enough responsibility being placed on Arab leaders for the murderous actions of their co-religionists.

The fact that an arab organizaiton leader in london had the audacity to blame the mistaken killing of a brazillian national on the traiing the police officers received in Israel is unspeakable. and yet, I haven't heard much about it.

Arabs, across the board, believe they are right. They believe other arabs have, if not the right, at least the justification for their murderous activiites and political beliefs. The only time they express regret is when it is politically expedient to do so.

It is a dangerous precedent to mildly respnd with generic searches and soaring platitudes about restraint, condemnations, and assistance from muslim leaders.

Regardless of your statistics, he is most likely not. The overwhelming likelihood is the recipient is a white male, of ashkenazic descent, and possibly remotely in my bloodline. Nevertheless, even if he is an Arab, and not Jewish, I'm fine with that. Who he is is not my business or problem. I'm glad I was able to do whatever I could to save a life and I hope he survives.

By the way, I don't hate Arabs, per se. But I will continue to hate the fact that arabs seem overwhelmingly in support of murder, or, in the very least, justifiying it.

If a magic wand could be waved over the world's arabs and they would magically renounce and demonstrate aversion to their generations of murder, deceit, antagonism, and aggression I would have no gripe against them.